Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I adored this book. What a wonderful feeling it is when a book’s premise that interests you delivers in full. That is exactly how I feel about Of Women and Salt, a beautiful, bittersweet novel that captures the experiences of four generations of Cuban and Cuban-American women (and a few more) whose lives are intertwined and connected across time.

Though these women – often split by geography as well as family feuds – know little or anything of each other, Gabriela has shaped their stories to platform common themes of women and their struggles, from the domestic violence to motherhood, from resilience to exploitation, from state-sanctioned aggression to gender expectations, these women battle the same fears and the similar forces irrespective of which time they live in.

In these chapters, we travel across decades, listening to whispers of revolution in 1950s rural Cuba, witnessing the hell of ICE and deportations in contemporary America, and the chasm that exists between Cubans today and their families in Florida.

And the women we meet are complicated and brilliantly drawn. Each struggling with secrets and burdens they dare not share and each desperately pushing towards a better life. Fantastic. I recommend this a hundred times over.

Thank you to picador/pan Mac for my earc of this book.
I was drawn in by the multi-generational aspect and that delivered and was engaging but at times a little disjointed.

Gabriela Garcia's first novel promised to be a generation spanning epic, exploring the struggles faced by Latina women and their resilience and tenacity in the face of hardship.

The novel covers an expansive time span and multiple perspectives, jumping from 19th Century Mexico, to modern day USA. Jeanette is struggling to deal with her addiction, and her strained relationship with her mother. When her neighbour is detained by ICE, Jeanette takes in her daughter. Through the course of the novel we see Jeanette navigating her recovery and family history, Jeanette's mother dealing with her own trauma, and the neighbour, Gloria, facing ICE detention and deportation.

We also get the stories of María Isabel a cigar roller in Cuba in the 1800s just before the war which achieved Cuban Independence, and the later story of Delores, whose abusive husband fights for Fidel Castro. At first these stories seem disparate and unconnected to the main events of the novel but we do learn how they are interlinked. However, rather than weaving together a cohesive story, the shifting narrative perspectives and timelines fragment this book, leaving it feeling more like short stories than a novel.

The tales that Garcia weaves are moving and poignant, and the stories she tells are incredibly important, but the disjointed nature of the storytelling means that the novel lacks the power and impact that it could have otherwise achieved. Nevertheless, Garcia achieves some wonderful storytelling so I will certainly be keeping an eye out for what she does next.

I enjoyed my time with this short story collection by GABRIELA GARCIA. I like it when all stories intertwine and kind of come together by the end.

The author has given every single woman their own distinct voice, which makes the read surprising and refreshing throughout. We start in the Cuba in the past, in a cigar factory, which I think is immediately my favourite story because it brings back memories of my trip to the country. Then we move from Cuba to present-day USA and we skip backwards and forwards in time and through different countries.

The subject matter is hard-hitting because it deals with migration and displaced families, but because it's all done from the point-of-view of the women living through it it never becomes overtly dramatic.

The audiobook narrator has done a good job giving all the women their voices.

I read the book in its entirety, and that is something I want to reveal upfront before I talk about the content and why it did not work for me. I was tempted to let it go, but individually, the women and the families mentioned here were captivating, and I wanted to give it a fair shot.
My main problem was that I was confused. I did not know where the story was going and why.
The blurb does not lie when it talks of women and mothers and the choices that they make. Each woman introduced here has her own troubles, some of their own making and others gifted to them in the form of the time they live in and/or the men in their life. There was one mother, and her decision that I felt was disjointed from the rest, even if the experience was harrowing.
The author's writing was evocative and made the harrowing experiences of the women feel genuine(not that that is a completely good thing, but as literary fiction- it is a plus). This is probably the only reason I read it all the way to the end. I do not even want to go into the specifics of why the back and forth in, but not to the same times did not endear it to me, but it will not help.
This is not a simple collection of women, and each of their decisions has some far-reaching consequences. It is not a happy book and not one for me, but I would still recommend it to others who find the blurb or even my review to their taste.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

A multi-generational story following five generations of Cuban women who migrated to Miami from El Salvador.

Of Women and Salt, is a story about survival, from addiction, to detention centers to revolutions, the stories of these women is often dark and harrowing (check trigger warnings before going into this book). A thought provoking novel and well worth a read.

A fairly derivative family immigration saga - you've read this before, although Garcia's writing is artful and lovely.

These are short stories of women in Cuba and Mexico and they all come together at the end of the book. Loved it, it was interesting and moving.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

This touching novel follows a Cuban family through the generations. From addiction to detention centres and revolutions, each moment in history is given its own spotlight. A family legacy told with unflinching honesty. It's captivating and memorable, and I would encourage anyone to pick up this memorable portrait of a family.

This is an inter-generational story weaving out from Carmen and Jeanette, a Cuban American mother and daughter in Miami. The book opens with Jeanette battling a drug addiction, before launching into a series of far more interesting stories about their ancestors in Cuba during the uprising against the Spaniards and the rise of Castro. The rather tenuous link between the present and past seemed to be that understanding her history was crucial to Jeanette understanding herself and healing, though how the two actually came together was left untouched. ⁣
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Whilst the stories were engrossing and enjoyable, the book seemed unpolished in a few ways. It was regrettable we spent so much time with Jeanette because she was the least interesting character, which became glaringly obvious in the chapters where she was in Cuba. The novel also suffered from weak characterisation of its supporting characters, and I thought certain actions seemed implausible and unexplained (like a resentful Cuban cousin later gifting Jeanette a family heirloom she tried to steal). It also had a tendency to paint scenes that, whilst striking, added very little meaning to the narrative (like the scene involving the panther on the cover). ⁣
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My favourite thread was outside the Carmen-Jeanette bloodline, about a mother and daughter from El Salvador deported and fighting their way back across the border. It felt in parts like a less accomplished Lost Children Archive (and I would recommend that instead if this topic interests you), but I thought that it was the most moving part of the book. ⁣
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#GabrielaGarcia #OfWomenandSalt

A multi-generational, women-centric book. It was more like a collection of short stories, rather than a novel. Gabriella Garcia was able to write about resilient women over a time span of over a hundred years. Most stories were intriguing but more than once, the narrative ended abruptly and the author wasn't really able to weave any continuity from one narrative to the next.
Garcia was able to write well about struggles, but I don't think she did a good job of drafting the characters. There were some characters who were given a depth of background, and others who weren't; the author could have done a better job by giving more depth to Carmen and Jeanette. Carmen's background was left unexplored, for she was the one who left Cuba. Her character was one-dimensional. Jeanette remained a confusing character to the end. It didn't help that one of her narratives was in Cuba and she never reflected back on her time there.
I would have given this four stars if it weren't for the choppiness of the narrative and lack of overall structure.

What a ride. I love to read about other cultures and places, and this had that – but talk about gut-wrenching. Some of the lines left me breathless, as the writing is so beautiful, but the stories are so intense. Trigger warnings for abuse, suicide, drug use, and violence - like, seriously, it gets heavy. But despite being super dark in places, it still manages to be one of the most gorgeous things I've read this year. Just wow. Brava, Gabriela.

I enjoyed this generational tale of women from both Cuba and El Salvador. It's a slight novel and I zipped through it, but that in itself is its downfall. Gabriella Garcia packs an awful lot in to little over 200 pages - generational trauma, deportation, revolution, abuse, etc. Too much to cover anything in any real depth and I was left feeling like I didn't really know any of the characters. This could easily have been a 500+ page epic. The timeline is confusing, jumping from one narrator to another, from the same narrator but to a different time period. And she also switches from lyrical, poetic prose to sticato like prose quite often. But the writing is something I enjoyed. Ultimately I was a little disappointed in this as I wanted so much more, but I would definitely pick up a future novel from Garcia.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARe-copy in exchange for this honest review.
This is a rich novel depicting the lives of several women affected by political decisions about immigration, abusive family relationships, poverty and betrayal. It is constantly surprising in its storytelling and is an inspiring story where women rise above their circumstances and show strength despite the oppression and injustice they face.

This was a very unique book.
The writing style, the characters and the time changes made for a challenging read, and admittedly I struggled to get into and relate to the characters. Once I did however, it all seemed to click and it all came together to produce a very interesting story.
I enjoyed it, and it was a very impressive debut.

Amazing story, one that you can’t put down, a fabulous story through time and generations and how we as women move and shape our lives together.

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

Of Women and Saly by Gabriela Garcia

“The woman reminds me of my mother because she looks breakable. But also immaculate.”

Of Women and Salt follows the lives of five generations of strong, fierce Cuban women grabbling with their own struggles. From 1866 cigar factories, to present day detention centres, Garcia explores the ways in which these women are bound even though many have never met.

No stone is left unturned as this book explores the complexity of familial and romantic relationships, the consequences of Cuba’s political history, substance misuse and addiction, and immigration and deportation.

I thought this was an incredible book that provided a perspective so often missing from the publishing industry! However, I think I would have linked just a bit more exploration of each woman.

CW// drug use, addiction, death, abuse (domestic, emotional, child, physical), confinement, trafficking, racism

This is the type of book that should be right up my ally. Multigenerational tale of women in a foreign setting yet I struggled to connect to the story and characters.

I think it boils down to the writing style that made me feel this way. It almost felt like short stories with a overarching narrative. While this sometimes works for me (eg The Tsar of Love and Techno) here it tripped up my enjoyment.

Of Women and Salt uses a non-linear format as it follows several women from Cuba and El Salvador. I admit I had my reservations about this writing style. For me, it's really important to be emotionally invested in character, and I worried this style wouldn't achieve that. Though now that I finished it, I have to say I'm glad I read it despite my reservations. The way author wrote this I came to care about every single point of view character in this book.

I think part of the reason why it worked so well for me is the writing. The prose has a sort of simple elegance to it that is hard to describe. I have a very specific taste in writing and most of the authors who are well-known for their poetic prose don't do anything for me. Good writing, in my opinion, is not about how many metaphors you can pack into a single paragraph. Good writing, I think, is about adding depth to the story, and nailing down all the emotions. Garcia's writing does all that without coming off as pretentious.

I do, however, think that the plotline and various themes could use a bit more focus. I think there was more room to explore the dynamic of abuse. Especially in case of Carmen, I wish at the end she would reflect on how her childhood experience, worshipping an abusive father, had shaped her view of abuse and what is acceptable in relationships. But then again, the power of some books lies in the things they don't say, in the things that are hidden between the lines.

In that sense, this book was simply powerful without any attempt at exaggeration.